Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just the plot, and the couple of OC's you've seen so far.

So read on!

Still So Close to You
By Darkwing731

((--Chapter Eleven--))
Mistaken Implications

-

His smile was broad when he asked, "Malfoy must've really done something to earn this."

The corners of her lips fell suddenly, and she sunk back into the couch. She closed her eyes for a single moment, recalling Malfoy's mouth on her neck and her desperate attempts to get away. She opened her eyes, unusually dim and looked at James.

"Yeah, he really did."

Hermione wasn't really sure what she was feeling at the moment, because Charms had just ended, and everyone was filing out of the classroom, but she was left behind. Her heart was hammering, and she was hurriedly shoving her charms notes messily into her book bag and sprinting out of the room to keep up with the crowd.

This would never have happened if Lucius was in her class.

The disgust and dislike and confusion of his intents had been replaced in an instant with a sort of fearful loathing. She hated him now—there was no doubt about that—but she was scared out of her mind at the thought of being alone with him.

The stress that she was under now was a lot worse; she had just been informed that she was tutoring Remus once a week, not once a month, which rather upset her. However, during the previous meeting with Hull, the Potions Master never actually told her a schedule for them to meet.

And so, now it was every Monday at seven in the Potions room. Or, if it was the theory he was having trouble in, they went to the library.

Still, this was cause for trouble. The tension of the thought of her and Remus together, without interruption, unsupervised, was unbearable. Not that he would pounce on her, but because there would most likely be an exchange of words between them that would leave her tearing up afterwards.

Not that he ever did that on purpose, of course, but it still hurt her, after all.

After Valentine's Day, it seemed that her motives and determination had been clarified, for her main focus was finding a way to get back home. She needed out of this situation, for there was already so much at stake, and so many mistakes had been made. She couldn't afford to trip again, because she knew very well that Lucius would see it, and something would happen. Something terrible.

So, besides getting home again, she studied like hell, and tried to think of ways to keep the Malfoy away from her. She had already expressed this need to James, who assured Hermione that something good would happen in her favor, and the scheming Machiavellian worm named Malfoy would be cast out of her life for good.

All she had left to do was figure out the actual dilemma she had with Remus; she was so confused when it came to him that she didn't know what to attempt next. She didn't particularly like letting things happen naturally, because that would certainly lead to a disaster.

Currently, it was Monday again, a week after speaking to James about the major prank, and the second Potions tutoring session with Remus. She had to admit, she was quite nervous about it, both being alone with him and nearing the dungeons. Perhaps she could engage Remus in conversation or—or just ask if she could accompany him down there, or the other way around, it didn't really matter.

She had dinner to face before this awful dilemma, so she made it a point to remember to solve the problem while eating.

All students filed into the great hall in a noisy bunch, laughing, gossiping and lively. Hermione, quiet and observing, stuck in the thick of the throng to keep from being pulled into an abandoned area, and if that happened to be an attempt of Lucius, she would have many witnesses, and the chances of not being saved were very small.

Gryffindors sorted into their friends and groups and cliques, and Hermione slid down to an empty part on the bench. Laughter echoed from behind her, laughter she had come to know very well these past two months, and James and Sirius were by her in an instant.

After piling food directly from the platter and into his mouth, Sirius opened his mouth and started talking to her, reminding her forcibly of Ron at dinnertime. She ignored the nostalgic pang in her chest and quirked an eyebrow.

"Chew and swallow, Sirius," she said lightly, the corners of her mouth lifting. He grinned, showing the contents of his mouth again before he miraculously swallowed the mass of food.

"As I was saying," Sirius started. He and James shared a grin; "Would you like to know about our little plan, so far?"

"What?" Hermione asked, and looked over to James.

"You said you wanted something bad to happen to Blondie over there, didn't you?" James asked, jerking his head towards the Slytherin table. She glanced nervously over there herself, and saw to her relief that Lucius was writing something, most likely homework, and paying no attention to her at all.

"Yes, I did," Hermione said. "Do I dare ask what this prank will be?"

The mischievous gleam in the boys' eyes was unnerving, but excited her. If they could get Lucius to back down and stay down… that would be perfect.

"Well, if we told you, I don't think you would understand how badly this would affect his ego, or just himself. See, as a female, you wouldn't understand the missing part of him and how badly that'll kill his reputation."

"You're right, I don't want to know. Just tell me when you've started it and when it'll be over, or whatever. I just… just hurry it up, alright?" she asked in a small voice. Sirius nodded happily and stuffed his face with food again, but Hermione saw the protective shadow in James' eyes.

She shook her head, and turned away before James could ask. "Where's Lily and Emma?" she questioned suddenly, noting the absence of the two females.

"Dunno," the boys echoed together.

"And Remus?" she asked, her heart skipping a little at the sound of his name on her tongue.

"Dunno."

"And Peter?"

The boys looked at each other. "Hey, where is Peter? I haven't seen him since he skipped Charms."

"You know, he really shouldn't do that," Hermione started, raking her eyes over the great hall for his little mousy head. "It's very—" but she stopped suddenly, and her face slowly twisted into confused observation.

At the Slytherin table, Lucius was talking to Rose (who had her arm linked with his, Hermione noticed). He was also writing down something, and talking to someone across the table, whose hair was mousy brown and his figure round; Peter Pettigrew.

Peter shook his head, took the quill from Lucius and started writing something at a quick pace, then pointing at the paper and tracing something. Lucius nodded, said something to Rose, and in a single moment where Hermione knew that it would happen, he looked at Hermione stationed across the hall.

Hermione was still, and Lucius looked surprised to see her watching. His eyes narrowed, after a moment, and he mouthed something to Peter, who spun in his seat and looked to Hermione with an expression of utmost shock and fear. He ducked out her vision, and gathering up his hood, pushed out of his seat and darted out of the hall.

"Jane? Jane?" A hand was waving in front of her face. She blinked, breaking the eye contact with Lucius who had comprehension dawning on his face and looked to Sirius. "Are your lights on up there, or what?" Sirius asked, smiling at his own joke.

"I knew," she breathed to herself, ignoring both Sirius' and James' inquiring glances. "I knew, and I didn't do anything. And now, now he's dealing out plans… God," Hermione moaned, and pushed herself up from the table and fleeing from the hall without looking behind her. She had to put a stop to Peter's betrayal while she could, because maybe…

What would it do? Save Lily and James? Stop Voldemort? Save the fate that Sirius met, and save Harry from his miserable life?

She didn't stop to think about the consequences, because her mind was screaming at her to put a stop to this and demand Peter to let her know what the hell he thought he was doing.

Sirius and James looked at each other before shrugging. They resumed eating, but James still had Jane on his mind, questioning her words. They had not seen what she was so shocked about, but he knew it was at the Slytherin table.

Upon thinking that, he looked up and skimmed the house to see if there was anything suspicious. What he did see was not Peter, but Lucius Malfoy with Rose Sanders at his arm. They were close, very close, and in a second the Malfoy gave her a pat on the cheek and hurriedly left the table and exited the great hall, leaving a forlorn looking Rose behind.

It was then that James remembered that Rose was Remus' girlfriend. And then, a second later, he remembered that Jane was having problems with Lucius, and having already left, the Malfoy must've followed her.

Without saying anything to Sirius, James got up and sprinted out of the hall, wanting to find Jane before Lucius did and ask her what the hell had been going on.

Sirius watched his friend leave, and a confused expression spread across his face. After a moment, he lifted his arms and sniffed his underarms, and with a satisfied look, lowered them and gave a little shrug before resuming to his meal.

-x-x-x-

"Jane!" James yelled, catching up with her at last. She was at the start of the seventh floor, and Gryffindor tower was not far away. She spun on her heel and turned to him, the scared look draining from her face immediately.

He stumbled to her, panting, and grabbed her shoulder to keep from falling over.

"Can't—breathe—" he wheezed, and started coughing spasmodically. After a minute, he took a deep breath and started talking. "I don't know what the hell you saw that made you leave, but I think I saw something you might've too."

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"Happen to see who was hanging off of Malfoy?" he asked with a sarcastically happy expression.

"Remus won't believe that his girlfriend is cheating on him, James. I know he won't," she said sadly.

"Whatever. If I can get Sirius and Peter to see them together, I'll have backup," he explained. "He wouldn't believe you." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Not that I mean that offensively, but—"

"He would think I was just jealous and trying to make him break it off with Rose." Which I wish he would, Hermione thought miserably.

"Exactly. This is why I need Sirius and Peter." Hermione's face darkened at the name of said future Death Eater.

James noticed this. "What? What's wrong with Peter?" he asked immediately. He knew that Jane had no problem with Sirius, but she hadn't really interacted with Peter so much.

Instead of saying nothing like she knew she was supposed to, she whispered, "He's a traitor."

"What?" James exclaimed. Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Nothing," she muttered, and turned at once and started walking away. "I'm crazy, ignore me."

"Jane, stop," James said firmly. When she didn't, he jumped and grabbed her shoulder, and upon spinning around she flinched visibly. He looked down at her with concern etched into his eyes.

"Jane—"

"No, James… just forget it." She backed out of grasp and turned. "I have to go. Tutoring session, you know."

"But—"

"Forget what I said, alright?" she said harshly, spinning to face him. Her eyes were blazing. He was surprised at how fierce she looked. "It doesn't matter, so just forget it."

"Forget what?" James and Hermione both jumped and searched for the source of the voice.

Rose Sanders stepped from the shadows, twirling a lock of hair and looking as clever and at ease as ever.

"Have you seen Remus?" she asked, smiling at both of them. Hermione looked horrified, and James looked suspicious.

James looked at Rose for a long, hard moment, analyzing her. She stared back at him, quirking an eyebrow. He curled his lip, disgusted, and after twisting his face in a snarl at her he turned and went past Hermione. With his back to her, Rose's expression changed in an instant. Calmly, the smiled faded into a triumphant smirk, and she mouthed something that Hermione plainly caught: Lucius will know.

Shit, Hermione thought anxiously. Hearing James give the password in a soft, concealed voice, she ran at the chance to get away from the Slytherin and pushed James out of the way and into the common room she went.

James turned and looked at Rose, not unmoved by Hermione's rude hurrying. "You don't deserve him," he said coldly.

"What?" Rose asked, sounding scandalized.

"You're a goddamned cheater, and whatever the hell you and Malfoy are up to, you better stay the hell away from Jane or one of you is going to get seriously hurt. I promise," he snarled.

Without waiting for a response from the Slytherin, he turned his back on the gaping girl and left into his tower without another word.

After shutting the portrait, he did not get the chance to see her expression melt into anger, or the swish of an invisibility cloak that dropped to the floor. A moment later, Lucius Malfoy put a hand on her shoulder to calm Rose.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered. "We got all that we needed. We have the passwords."

"You're right," Rose agreed quietly. Her face hardened. "She's going to get it bad, Lucius."

He smiled, the cruel delight evident in his eyes. "Oh yes, she is."

-x-x-x-

Hermione did not remember how she managed to convince Sirius to walk down with her to the dungeons, but she didn't care as long as someone was with her. And Sirius could protect himself on the way back, which was all for the better. Hermione would've asked Lily, but the Head Girl was no where to be seen and Hermione couldn't find Emma either, so Sirius was a good choice.

She could not risk James' curious and worried nature, so Sirius' carefree attitude certainly helped her relax a little.

"Okay, so this one time in second year, me and James snuck into the Slytherin changing rooms right before a Quidditch game and hexed all their brooms. Mind you, this was before the game started and the captain was giving them their speech and all that good stuff, so all we had to do was sneak into their broom cupboard and mutter a few well chosen phrases—and tada! Instant win for Gryffindor, and polka-dotted Slytherin's for a week."

Sirius grinned triumphantly; "told you I'm smart." He looked like a beaming child who had just won something.

"You're so…" Hermione started, but laughed instead.

"Sexy?"

"Goofy," she answered, and the look fell from his face dramatically before it was replaced again in laughter.

"But sexy too, right?" he asked hopefully, jumping in front of her as they rounded the corner to the dungeons.

"Stop complimenting yourself, Sirius," she said, rolling her eyes with a smile.

He hopped back and forth in front of her, preventing her from moving. She grinned and tried to get past, but with a laugh he kept her from passing him.

"You'd better say I'm sexy Jane, or you'll regret it!" he warned playfully.

"No, because I do not lie," she said, grinning all the while. He looked mortally offended.

"That's mean! I shall take you down!" he said in a mock battle-cry; he darted forward, grabbing her around the waist and flinging her over his shoulder. He spun around quickly, so she was yelling in delight at the dizziness.

"Put me down, Sirius!" Hermione laughed.

"Gotta admit it!" he said joyfully. Voices echoed up the hall, coming closer, and Hermione knew that Sirius would make her look like an idiot if he didn't put her down.

"Fine!" she yelled, the room spinning before her eyes. "I admit it, you're sexy!"

"Thank you!" Sirius said triumphantly, still holding Hermione over his shoulder. The voices were stronger, and two girls turned the corner, talking. It was Emma and Lily, who stopped dead at the sight of Sirius and Hermione.

"Emma, dahling. I didn't see you at dinner. You either, Lils. Where did you gals run off too?" Sirius inquired happily, oblivious to Hermione's quiet mews to be let down.

"Potions room," Lily said shortly, looking suspiciously confused at Hermione and Sirius. "Now, where are you two going?"

"Potions room. What a coincidence, huh?" Sirius asked jovially. He stopped and looked at Emma, who was glaring at Hermione's backside. "Emma, love, are you alright? You've got a little vein popping out on your forehead… "

"Fine," she snarled. "Absolutely bloody fine." Without another word, she stormed past Sirius, knocking hard into his shoulder. Thundering up the hall, she turned briefly and gave a very exasperated Hermione a threatening look. Hermione looked surprised at this, but could say nothing as the girl retreated.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Anyway Si, Remus is already down there. I had to talk to Hull, and he was hoping he could get a session out of me instead of Jane," Lily told him. "I've got to go now, bye."

"Hmm, Mooney's trying to switch tutors, now is he?" Sirius said to himself, interestedly.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Jane darling?"

"Put me down," she said dryly.

"Oh, yes that. Sure thing." He pulled her off his shoulder, still smiling brightly.

"Oh," came the echo of Lily's voice from up the hall; Hermione and Sirius turned to look at her: "Malfoy is in there too. Apparently he got a detention for running into a teacher and being all rude about it. He's a right piece of work, being all nasty to Remus. Take care not to let him kill you, eh?" She gave a little laugh and continued on her way.

Oh great, that's just perfect, Hermione thought sarcastically. Remus and Lucius was just about the worst thing she could ask for in her current situation. Lucius is not going to let this night go by without doing something to his advantage. He's going to screw my relationship up with Remus even more.

"Oh, well doesn't that make your day all jolly and bright," Sirius commented with a sigh. "Shall we skip this session of yours then, Jane? Oooh, then let's go to the kitchens and get ice cream!"

"It's scary how much you resembled a three-year-old right then," Hermione said wryly. "And no, I shall not skive. You can come, but I doubt anything will hold your attention span for that long. Hah, I was just joking, Sirius."

He lifted an eyebrow, and lunged at her. Grinning, he got her head in the crook of his arm and started rubbing her scalp very hard with his knuckles.

"Noogie!" he cried happily.

"Sirius! Ouch—no, stop—OW OW!—my hair is already bushy, leave me—OW!—alone," she protested, thrashing about. "Uncle!"

"Who?" Sirius asked, rubbing harder.

"Mercy!" Hermione cried frantically, desperate to get away from this childish torture.

"No mercy for you!" he answered.

"You're sexy!" she blurted, and was let go of immediately. She fell back to the floor, but she was happy that she was released. Sirius looked proud, but held out a hand to help her up.

Hermione pulled out her wand and tapped his hand suspiciously, and he whipped back his fingers and pulled out his own wand and pointed it at her, looking ready to duel but very amused. She rolled her eyes and stood, tucking her wand back into her pocket, Sirius mirroring her movements.

"Well, I suppose I can make it from here. Thanks for walking with me," she said appreciatively.

He ruffled his hair and smiled back, differently from before. "No problem, Jane. Shall I pick you up, saaaay nine o'clock?"

"For what?" she asked, well aware of how he was acting; she hoped he was only joking around.

"We can go to the kitchens and then get ice cream!" he shouted, flinging up his arms with a happy squeal.

"You're stupid," she laughed, and turned to go down the hall.

"And sexy!" he called after her. She grinned, but did not turn back.

She tried to hold onto the laughter that had been echoing from her since she and Sirius left Gryffindor Tower, but as soon as she would push open the Potion door, laying eyes on both Lucius and Remus, the happiness would drain instantly, replacing it with anxiousness and panic.

How in the hell was she supposed to handle this?

Grimacing for the events that were about to come, Hermione tentatively reached out for the wooden door and opened it silently. She took a moment to gather her wits before stepping in, where she was met with Lucius and Remus, but she did not expect to see them talking civilly, even if Remus did look slightly suspicious.

"Well all that stuff that Rose was telling you wasn't a bunch of lies, Lupin. She told me the little hussy was doing the exact same thing," Lucius was saying. He suddenly looked up, spotting Hermione and grinned, no humor behind his smile, but only cold delight.

"Well speak of the devil," Lucius said softly, and turned around after throwing Remus an I-told-yah-so kind of look.

Glaring suspiciously at the back of Malfoy's head, Hermione moved around and sat across the desk from Remus, ignoring the fluttery and nervous rhythm of her heart. She dropped her book bag onto the table, noticing the weird look that Remus had on his face as he watched her movements, almost as if he were looking for something specific, before she sighed impatiently as the contents of her bag spilled out.

"Great," she sighed, and started picking things up. Her things had spilled as far Lucius, and quills, books and inks were lying around like little.

Picking them up with haste, she did not notice Lucius bend down to retrieve something that had fallen on the floor; Remus, silent and observing, watched Malfoy's movements and fascinated expression as he looked over the notebook before triumph gleamed in his eyes. Lucius pocketed this new possession, smirking successfully, Remus' gingery eyes following his actions.

What Malfoy had stowed away was something so precious, something that Hermione had come to treasure with secrets, both personal and informational. They held the complex reasoning of her mind, and about time; every little note that she had taken on time travel had been scribbled into corners and free spaces with stars and arrows pointing to them.

Woven in with the precious information were her worried thoughts and how she was going to deal with life back with Harry and Ron, how she would handle Remus as a teacher, and what new dangers and obstacles she would face with Draco Malfoy. Things that should never cross the mind of a girl her age had been recorded, and by the time she realized that Lucius had a hold of the notebook, it would be too late to stop him.

"Alright," she said finally, stuffing her charms book into her bag, and shutting the clasp. "I thought it might be wise to work on theory, since you seem to have no trouble making the potions, and the essays and written comprehension can really confuse some people."

"He's fine in theory, Lewis," said Hull's voice. She walked from her office and sat down at her desk with a tired sigh. "It's the brewing he's terrible at; the last potion he handed in was supposed to be a Pepper-Up Potion as an extra grade… it was purple."

"Oh," said Hermione in a small voice, wincing involuntarily. In the final stages, the Pepper-Up Potion was a thick reddish color, no where near the lavender purple that Hermione was imagining.

"Well, I mean—" Hermione glanced at Lucius, whose hands were working very slowly over a cauldron, moving up and down over one spot: he was listening. "I just thought it would be more… appropriate to try some theory again, because he may be excellent in it, but he may just need to review." Bottom line, Hermione did not want Remus and Lucius and herself in the same room together, most likely unsupervised. With Hull out of the picture, Lucius would let the implications fly, and she would be done for.

"Shut it, Lewis. You're helping him brew another Pepper-Up Potion, and when you hand it in it mustn't be anything lower than an E or I'll have your head, understand?" the professor warned.

"Yes," Hermione agreed reluctantly.

"Good." The teacher relaxed for a moment, before letting out a yawn and pulling out some papers; for a moment, Hermione joyfully thought she was going to sit there at her desk and grade papers, but a moment later, Hull stood up, shuffling the parchment, and worry set in through Hermione's body.

"I'll be up with Minerva, I have business with her," Hull informed the three of them. "There better be no funny things going on, because I'll know about it, and when I do, you will wish you didn't take potions class."

Don't we already? Hermione asked herself skeptically. However, she remained silent as the professor gave them each a threatening glance, straightened her papers, and walked out of the dungeons.

There was an eerie silence, and Hermione stared at the door, desperate for it to swing back open with the professor exclaiming: "Just joking!" and then proceeding to grade papers. But after a minute of her internal whining, it remained shut, and she knew all hope was gone.

Sighing worriedly, Hermione turned back to Remus, who was staring at her with a scrutinizing look that vanished once she looked at him. She wondered briefly what it was for, what she had done, but she couldn't concentrate on it very long. She just wanted to get out.

"Well I still think reviewing theory would help… let's go up to the library, shall we?" Hermione said to Remus, trying to keep her voice low. Still though, Lucius heard her words, and smiled in his cruel delight.

"I don't think so, Jane love," Lucius said silkily, cutting off Remus before he even had a chance to speak. Hermione dropped her head into her hands and just wanted to cry from her fearful frustration.

"We all know how you love to escape to your precious library, but you'll have to sit this one out. You can't leave here," he said calmly, but she could still hear the smugness in his voice. "I won't let you."

"You don't have any power over me," she snarled, whipping around to face him. Lucius had leaned back in his chair, his legs propped up on the table and his sleeves pushed up over his forearms. It struck her suddenly that with his hair pulled back and his sleeves pushed up, that he was undeniably handsome.

Stupid—female—hormones. Go die, she thought angrily.

"Oh really?" he asked, mocking curiosity. Granger, he mouthed at her, and Hermione bristled. However, he was far from done. He only had a certain amount of time to prove what he had to, and he was not letting his detention go to waste. "What about the time when you and I were out in the woods, and when I told you to do something, you would just do it?"

He was talking about the kidnapping, of course, but Remus didn't know that. Hermione was very tempted to turn around to see if she could convince him otherwise then what Lucius was saying, but that would be setting herself up. Lucius was playing with his words, and however truthful they were, they were misleading.

"Shut up, Malfoy," she hissed, eyes narrowed. "That's nobody's business. Neither of us wants to hear your rubbish."

"Nobody's business but ours. And I really don't mind sharing it with Lupin here, I mean; who does he have to tell?" Lucius gave an imperial little laugh, and Hermione wanted to strangle him.

Remus had remained silent since she had stepped foot into the dungeons, and she knew he was trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind their words, though he could not. She was very afraid that he was going to get the wrong idea, and she knew that no matter what she did to prevent it; she was going to say the wrong thing.

"Well I want you to shut the hell up, Malfoy. It's as much my business as it is yours, so shut up," she spat. He smirked haughtily.

"And yet everyone seems to be part of your business… do I recall you running down the Slytherin corridor, most likely instigated by the snogging couple of Rose and Lupin, just so you could come running into my arms—"

"Enough!" she yelled. Hermione now feared to look at Remus, not wanting to see the disgust directed towards her as he, surely, relived the memory also. She could not stand the ashamed feeling she got when she thought about it herself; how could she have done that just for revenge on Remus when he didn't even seem to care?

"You came running to me just so you could make Lupin here jealous," Lucius said softly, eyes gleaming.

"Shut up!" she snarled, too quickly. She knew her defensive tone was an obvious give away that it was true, but she was quick to defend herself in hopes of the last-minute convincing. "That's a lie."

"Is it?" Remus asked quietly, and Hermione turned to face him involuntarily. She bit her lip and looked at him, worried, but remaining silent. He looked nervous, but suspiciously so, as if he was daring himself to believe Hermione.

After Hermione's prolonged pause, he spoke again. "If that wasn't it Jane, then why? Did you seriously fancy Malfoy?"

Oh no, she thought frantically, I should've seen this coming! What the hell am I supposed to say?

"Yes, Lewis, did you?" Lucius inquired interestedly, leaning forward in his chair to look closer at her. Hermione, face hard and uncertain, looked between Lucius, sitting in all his fair-haired glory, his prestigious wealth and quick wit, and Remus, dark haired, quiet, secretive and confused.

Lucius knew what was going on, and had every intention of steering it in a favorable direction, and Remus was being fed these lies and misleading things… she was being put in such a bad light. How was she supposed to get out of this?

"I-I didn't do it for anything like that," she said suddenly. "Not to make you jealous, Remus, and not because I fancied Malfoy. I did it because—" I needed too. She couldn't finish that sentence; it would be the most obvious giveaway that she was that desperate for Remus, and she didn't want to shame herself like that.

"I don't know," she mumbled finally.

"I think you do know, Jane," Lucius said quietly, and when she turned to glare at him she saw the clever, amused look in his eyes. "I think you know exactly how you feel… and I think you know a lot more, don't you?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, knowing exactly what he was getting at. "No, I don't," she snarled. "Now kindly mind your own goddamned business, because if you haven't noticed, this is a tutoring session, and you're preventing me from tutoring Remus. Now stop it with your damned interrogation and leave me alone."

She sat properly in her seat again, frustrated to the point of tears, but she blinked them angrily away and told herself to focus on Remus and forget entirely about Lucius; Malfoy knew too much, and she kept wishing desperately that if she ignored him hard enough, he would go away.

And she would pretend that was the truth for as long as she could, just as long as it kept her sane.

"Now Remus, I know you do fine in theory, so just list off the names of the ingredients for the Pepper-Up Potion," Hermione instructed wearily, rubbing one eye and looking at him expectantly through the other. Remus' face was hard and his eyes narrowed in thought as he stared over her shoulder at something. "Remus?"

"Malfoy's right," Remus blurted out suddenly. Hermione could picture the vicious smile that would spread over his face at Remus' words, and she didn't have to turn around to know that it had.

"No he isn't; just ignore him," she snapped. She was hoping to God that Remus wasn't drawing his own ideas with the implications that the nefarious Malfoy had supplied, and if he had, then Hermione was in deep trouble…

"He's right, and so is Rose, and so is everyone else," Remus accused, suddenly looking angry. "There's something weird going on with you, you know way too much! And you're causing all this trouble and—and you're just getting in the way of everything. What's with you? Why can't you just be simple, and normal?"

Hermione stared at him, clearly shocked at his words. That had sent her mind reeling: how could he say something like that? Are my mistakes really that noticeable? Does—does he really mean it?

"They told me about the stupid shit you were doing, and I didn't believe it, I wouldn't. How could I believe that someone like—someone like you could do something as awful as that?" he cried, pushing up from his seat and standing poised and tense, ready to spring at her in accusation or flee from the dungeons in disgust or disbelief.

"It's not true!" she yelled immediately. "None of it is! They're lying to you!"

"No, Jane, you're lying to me," Remus snarled. "James' cloak, Malfoy and his biased ways, and the way you just knew what you were doing. There's more Jane, and don't even try to deny it, because I know there's something you're hiding. Something huge."

She gaped at him, appalled and shocked and panicked. It was absurd that he was accusing her of a huge secret when he was a bloody werewolf! It was unfair, and uncalled for, and she was so angry and confused that nothing made sense anymore except justifying herself and getting defensive.

"Oh Remus, I wouldn't be talking about me hiding secrets if I were you," she growled softly. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and she stood and clenched her fists at her side.

"You—with your disappearing and shifty looks and changing moods and—and—" but she refused to let herself finish what she was desperate to say.

"Sounds like you know the beast pretty well, Jane," Lucius said offhandedly, and she spun around with a snarl.

"Shut your damn mouth, Malfoy!" she snarled again.

"I mean, I think you fancying him and all is a complete waste of time, he's not even fit for human standards, let alone yours. He's filth," Malfoy scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh, shut it you! I don't want to hear it from you how he's horrible and below everyone, because he's not. Just because he's a werewolf doesn't make a bastard like you any better than him!" she exclaimed. "He's better than you'll ever be!"

Hermione didn't understand the shocked, but very delighted look on Lucius' face that had appeared as soon as she had finished talking. Nor did she know why Remus had started making sputtering, choking noises. She glanced over her shoulder at him to find his face pale and sickly looking, his mouth moving wordlessly and his eyes huge. He lifted a shaking arm and pointed at her accusingly, still stunned.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Malfoy's chair slammed to the ground, and he jumped up form his seat in delight. He seemed to be giddy with something, but the truth was, Hermione had just revealed something very important… and dangerous.

"And do you think I'm lying now, Lupin?" Lucius asked in a rush, grinning and staring at Hermione. She turned to him, her face twisted up in uncertainty; she didn't know what was so important, and whatever it was, Lucius was making a big deal out of it.

"What's going on?" she demanded, upset.

"You—" Remus could barely speak. She turned to face him again, whirling around, wondering if it was just her, or if both Remus and Malfoy had gone insane.

"What?" she asked, now urging for an answer. "What did I say—?"

Hermione stopped dead, and her past words hit her like a train. What did I say? Only moments before her confused state she had claimed that Remus was better than Lucius could ever be, werewolf or not.

Werewolf or not.

"Oh," she squeaked. Her body tensed up as if she had been subjected to Petrificus Totalus, and she racked her mind desperately for any excuse to say something in her defense (that wasn't impossible, and wouldn't screw up her situation anymore) or for a way to get out of the room, out of the dungeons, and out of Hogwarts forever.

Well, getting out of the dungeons would simply have to do.

She took a swift look at the viciously triumphant looking Malfoy, a glance at the shocked, steadily angering Remus, before making a speedy grab for her book bag and sprinting for the door.

However, Professor Hull happened to choose this moment to open the door just as Hermione was reaching for it.

"No!" Hermione yelled in panic.

"What do you think you're doing, Lewis?" Hull demanded.

"I was leaving," Hermione rushed to say.

"No you're not. Your session with Lupin isn't over yet. Sit down," Hull snapped. The teacher took a moment to look at Remus and at Malfoy. "Why are you gaping, Lupin? Sit down, look over those notes and finish your potion."

Hull worked her way through the Potions room, and plopped down at her desk. After a moment of shuffling papers, she looked up to see Hermione still standing at the door, looking pale, Remus Lupin clutching the table like it was the only thing that could save him from Hell, and Lucius sporting a very happy expression, almost as if Christmas had come early.

"Well?" Hull barked. "Sit down, all of you! Get back to the cauldron, Malfoy, and Lewis and Lupin! Finish that potion or I'll throw you both in detention!"

Remus dropped into his face, drawing shaky, deep breaths, and stared at the cauldron and blank parchment set before him. Sending Hermione a victorious look, Lucius hesitantly sat down in his seat, and picked up the sponge-like thing and scrubbed halfheartedly at the cauldron.

Hermione was frozen in the doorway, torn between following the teacher's directions and continuing her tutoring session, or turning and running as far and as fast as she could.

The air was tense in the room, and she knew it was because Remus was feeling a raging mix of emotions, and he had every reason too. She had let them know. She let it slip that he was a werewolf, and there wasn't even a time for her to mumble that she had seen his transformation, or that she had noticed his peculiar absences.

She had been so wrapped up in herself that she hadn't noticed Remus slinking away every 28 days and coming back beat up a day or two later. Time then was just blending into one huge mess, and she could even pick out his scarred face fresh from the Shrieking Shack after the full moon.

Remus was not going to trust her at all anymore, and chances were the Marauders would be against her. She prayed to Merlin that James and Sirius would still help her, still get back at Lucius for her, and that she could find a way to stay away from the blonde forever, because now that she had said something as huge as that, she was done for.

Lucius was never going to leave her alone. Remus was going to be on guard and suspicious for the rest of the time she was there, and Hermione was going to go insane, she was sure of it.

She didn't want to face either of them, not when she felt to miserable and scared and confused with Remus and Malfoy when she had said something so terrible. She didn't want to push herself to get through the session, however short it must've been. She didn't want to be with anyone else. She wanted to be alone, for good.

She decided in a split second, and a moment later she was sprinting down the dungeon hallway, her heavy book bag swinging against her leg, and her mind refusing to acknowledge the screaming of her teacher to get back to tutoring Remus.

She was not looking back, she decided. Not today, and not for the rest of the time that she was stuck in 1979.

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Author's Notes: Well, originally I wasn't going to end it here, but a lot later. There are a few more events that need to take place before Hermione gets herself in a safe position, and before she can think without worrying about Lucius at her heels. It's gonna be a long ride guys, but I think this story is at it's halfway point. I'm not really sure.

Now, I would appreciate tremendously if you would please review because at the moment, this is my most favored story, and I really want this to go successfully. Summer is near, and I've been typing like mad and having so many ideas, so updates will come quickly!

And I broke the mold for you! I was going to update like two other stories before letting this one out, but I figured, WHAT THE HELL, and gave you all a treat!

Thanks for reading, and please review!